Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

Parker swiveled his head around as he heard a familiar voice call his name, just in time to see Kai trip and fall. "Kai!" he shouted, and ran towards to the man flat on the ground. "Christ, Kai, are you all right?" He held out his hand from the guitarist to take.

"Oh, jeez, thanks," said Kai, grabbing the offered hand and pulling himself up. He brushed the dirt off of his clothes, and looked at Kai diffidently. "Sorry... I've been known to be a klutz. And, yeah, I'm totally fine. Just a little scratched up, of course." Kai laughed uneasily, toying with the hem of his shirt.

*~*~*

"Um, all right..." Valerie shifted from foot to foot nervously. "I'll go see if Scott's not too emotionally hurt to get up and eat something. I'm taking that you probably don't want anything to eat right about now, Mr. Hungover."

Later that day, sometime after Ethan's hangover was overwith...

"Ok, you two, we're going to actually practice, and please do not kill each other!!" Tara announced loudly, waving her clipboard in the air. Okay, maybe she'd gone a little too far, having dragged them sixty miles northwest to the spot of their first on the tour and demanding that they could practice there, but she insisted that it made it all "more real".

Ethan glared at both the managers, giving Valerie in particular a If you don't get me out of this, I swear I'll mess up my eyeliner for the actual performance look. He refused to look at Scott, who was forced to stand way too close to be comfortable.

"You say we're not allowed to kill each other, but is killing myself all right?" Scott asked, raising his hand like a schoolboy. "I'd rather rot in Hell than stand next to..." He sneered at Ethan. "That. This is obviously too close for comfort!"

*~*~*

Parker sighed, and elbowed Kai in the ribs. "Twenty dollars says Scott is going to hurt Ethan again by the end of tonight," he whispered. "Or kill. Either one. Wanna bet?"

"No, Ethan's so going to hurt Scott. It's not even funny how true it is," Kai argued. "You are so on, Kai. Twenty dollars it is."

*~*~*

Valerie smiled contritely at Ethan, who was sending her a deadly glare. "All right... Well, please, by all means, behave." She looked pointedly at Kai and Parker. "And that also goes for you two. Tara and I will personally give someone a reprimanding if they step out of line. And it is a very thin line, I'm warning you, so be careful." She coughed, "Scott, Ethan."

"Go ahead, Scott," Tara yelled back, "Go ahead and freaking kill yourself. Then we can get this freaking drama over with, and you won't have to see Ethan for another twenty years, or whenever he dies of lung cancer. But until you get a suitable weapon, sing."

"Microphone cords would be good for strangling," Scott mused quietly, trying to make sure the insane manager wouldn't hear him. "And besides!" He suddenly raised his voice. "If he doesn't freaking quit smoking, I'll be dead due to second-hand smoke before this end of this tour! It's totally and utterly a health hazard to him, and everyone around him."

"Scott, please stop worrying about the possibilities of death here," Valerie commanded politely. "Although, I do think it would be beneficial if you would quit smoking for the time being, Ethan. I'm sure Scott would appreciate it. He does seem quite concerned about your health." Valerie turned her head away from the group, and put a hand over her mouth to hide a smirk.

"I can smoke if I want to!! Besides, fangirls like it," Ethan yelled, crossing his arms over his chest, "and they make up like, half the fanbase."

"I'm not concerned about his health!" Scott growled, eyebrow twitching. "He could die for all I care. I'm concerned about everybody else's health! And my own, of course." He put his hand on his hip and turned to face Ethan. "Seriously, you need to quit. It's disgusting and completely unhealthy. If you want to get lung cancer or emphysema, go ahead. But if you want to consider the possibility of living a long and healthy life, I'd stop. And it's a major turn-off, by the way."

Ethan glared, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and purposely blowing the smoke in Scott's face (since they had to stand so effing close) out of spite, "You're the minority on that opinion. I've read my forums, and the female population finds in an incredible "turn on" and "source of smexiness", direct quote. Besides, you'd love to know that you partly led to my smoking." he stuck the cigarette back in his mouth.

Scott coughed, and batted his hand in the air rapidly, trying to push the smoke away. "You're so mean," Scott wheezed, coughing even harder. "Ugh, that's so rude! You know I have asthma, you bastard!" Scott placed his hands on his knees, breathing with difficulty. He looked up at Tara pleadingly. "I need my inhaler!!"

Tara groaned, slapping her forehead with her palm in disbelief. "Jesus fucking Christ." she swore, digging through her purse in search of Scott's inhaler. She marched over to the stage, handing it to him, scowling like a public school nurse.

"Shit," Ethan muttered, having completely forgotten that little tidbit in the four or so years since he had last seen Scott. He instantly dropped the cigarette as far from Scott as he could, stomping it out before turning to Scott, half wanting to help, but knowing that if he tried, Scott would probably push him off the stage. So he instead stood there like a total idiot.

Scott grabbed the inhaler, and used it how it was prescribed. "God, thanks, Tara," Scott hacked, covering his mouth with his fist as he coughed again. "You're a life-saver. Here," he handed the device back to her, "could you hold on to it again for me? I'm sure I'll probably need it again." He stared angrily at Ethan, crossing his arms.

"Mmhmm, yes, genius. Way to forget a major detail!" Scott hollered. "Are you really that careless and stupid?! Something bad could've happened to me, you idiot! Well, maybe then you would get your wish and I would get out of your life!"

"Well, maybe soon I'll just get lung cancer and die, like you said you wanted me to! Then you can bitch about something else and get tons of fans and shit because I died all because your stupid high school self drove me to suicide!!"

"Hey!! Stop putting the blame on me!! YOU'RE the reason you're smoking right now!! It was all YOU'RE fault!! YOU are at fault for almost everything!! YOU'RE the reason why we broke up!! YOU'RE the reason we haven't talked in years!! YOU'RE the reason why I freaking hate you!! YOU'RE the reason I just needed my inhaler!! You, you, you!! I admit I may be my fault for some things, but it's mostly you!! So stop it!!"

Ethan didn't say anything for a moment, then threw his pack of cigarettes onto the stage in front of Scott, and hurled his lighter as far as he could. He turned to Scott and yelled, "You know what, I give up!! I apologized to you and you still acted like a bastard, so I give up!! Go ahead, tour, make millions, I don't give a shit anymore!! I want nothing to do with you, or anyone, or life!! I quit this tour, no matter what anyone says." He was about to storm pff the stage, then turned back to Scott and added in a low voice, "You know, I really would've apologized and tried to make up if you weren't acting like such a pompous ass since the beginning. And...that would've made me really happy." Without another word, he turned and ran off the stage, not giving a passing glance to anyone as he headed to the street and began to dial for a taxi.

"Scott, all I know is that you better run like the wind, Bullseye," Parker said, smirking. "I'm not saying it's your fault, but I think you should apologize."

*~*~*

Scott sighed, hanging his head. "You're right--It's not my fault. He can rot out there," he muttered. "You heard me earlier, Parker. I honestly don't give a fuck anymore."

"Scott!" Kai hissed. "You know you don't mean that! Listen, if you won't go out there, then I'm dragging you out there, whether you want to our not! Come on, Parker." He grabbed the aforementioned drummer's arm, and the singers, and then tore down the stage, out of the building onto the sidewalk.

"Scott, you search like hell for him," Kai demanded. "You had better not run out of luck yet, Mr. Singer. He better not have gotten a taxi already..."

Ethan relayed the location into the phone, sitting pathetically on the curb as he willed himself not to cry. He reached into his pocket, intending to smoke himself to death right there, but the realized that he had thrown the whole pack at Scott, and that just made him more depressed. He sighed, wondering why he shouldn't just grab a knife and kill himself right there. In his five or so minutes of musing, he came up with exactly one reason.

Reason Why Ethan Shouldn't Slit His Throat Right Now
1. I have no knife.

Scott furrowed his eyebrows as he spotted the depressed man on the curb. "Hey... Found him," Scott said, jabbing Kai with his elbow. "You can go talk to him and stuff, I'll be here."

*~*~*

"No, I think you need to talk to him," Parker said, shoving Scott forward. "Just get rid of your pride, man. All you have to do is admit you were wrong, say you're sorry, and then kiss and make up. Sound good?"

*~*~*

"Not the kissing part," Scott grumbled, well, all of it, actually, he added mentally. Sighing, he squished the little pride he had left, and approached the curb. He crouched down beside Ethan, and opened his mouth to speak. "Listen... You're a rude jerk, and always will be. But I was kind of being like you, too--a jerk, I mean. So... hear me out. I still hate you more than anything in the entire world, but I regret what I said and if it made you feel bad or shit like that. Okay?"

Ethan looked at him for a moment as the taxi pulled up. He stood up, pulling his hoodie tighter around him, and told him, "Don't say stuff you don't mean." With that, he climbed into the taxi and told the driver where to go. He rolled down the window and said to the others (AKA, not Scott), "Don't look for me. I'll call you when I'm ready."

"... Fine!" Scott screamed. "Run away like you always do! I did mean it, you fucktard!" He wiped his eyes with the corner of his sleeve as he felt the tears daring to stream over. "I'm trying to be nice--and what do you do?! You act like that! You act like nothing matters! I thought you wanted to apologize and things like that, but of course, once I admit I'm wrong, you take off! You obviously must not mean it," he sniffed, and wiped his nose. "Be like that, then! Damn... I hate crying..."

Kai shot Ethan a glare before patting Scott on the back. "Shh, it's all right. The world didn't end, Scott, so stop crying." He looked up and began speaking to Parker. "You knock some sense into your friend, Parker. It takes a lot to make Scott cry, and I will kick Ethan's sorry ass if he doesn't do something."

Tara had chased the entire band, and she arrived to a very odd scene. First of all, Scott was fucking crying, which Scott never did. Second of all, Scott was crying about a real issue, and not because she wouldn't buy him candy. Third, Scott was being serious about something, which was usually a sign that the Apocalypse was coming.

"Scott," she began slowly, "what's wrong?"